


Comfort and Recollection

by Bandshe



Series: Dena and Samson [7]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Drug Withdrawal, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-29
Updated: 2015-11-29
Packaged: 2018-05-04 00:17:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5312507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bandshe/pseuds/Bandshe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Samson shares some of his past in Kirkwall with Dena as she comforts him through lyrium withdrawal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Comfort and Recollection

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks goes to @kaleidoscopegirl for the title assist as well as the idea for the fic

Samson groaned as Dena massaged his temples. She felt useless to him when he was like this. Somedays she’d have to call on the healers in hopes he could find some comfort there, but tonight it wasn’t as bad. Tonight she was enough for him.

“Dena, go to bed. I can manage.”

“Samson, just let me.” her warm touch made him moan. 

“Your hands are too warm.” he muttered.

That was the first time she had ever heard him say that. She took a wet rag and placed it on his head and stroked his face as he squeezed his eyes closed. His body shook and his teeth chattered. He never liked having Dena see him like this.

“You dropped your dose too quickly, Raleigh. We’re trying to wean you off of the stuff.”

“Leave me, girl. I know what I’m doing, it’s not my first time.”

She clenched her jaw knowing that an outburst wasn’t going to help him any. She swapped out one rag for the next. The water dripped down his head and onto her legs, as she cradled it in her lap.

“Tell me about Kirkwall.” her voice soft and almost melodic. Now he knew he was hallucinating.

“It’s a shit hole. There. You wanna know more, go ask the dwarf.” he hissed in pain.

“I want to hear about your time there. Why you joined the templars, anything. Raleigh, we’ve been together going on two years, give me something.”

“I know just about as much about you as you do me.” he looked up at her.

“Well, you share your stories and I’ll share mine.” she smiled back down.

Samson took a deep breath and entertained her. 

“Well, Kirkwall always had it’s faults, everywhere does, but I was determined to make a difference, I suppose every young boy that becomes a templar thinks the same. I’ve seen many good men make poor decisions while guarding mages. Too many treated them as if they were monsters. They were people, Maker, why couldn’t those fools see it?” Samson’s voice trailed off.

“Not everyone is like you, Raleigh.” She grabbed another rag and dipped it in the cool water.

“Yeah, but I suppose that’s for the best.” he began to scratch his arm. “Do you remember the tranquil, Maddox?” his name made Samson cringe as it slipped past his lips. “Meredith had him made tranquil just because he dared fall in love. I was kicked out from the order because I decided I was going to deliver his love letters. She said I was softhearted, that people like me were prime targets for maleficarum.”

“Do you regret it?” Dena asked.

“Regret what? Being caught? Getting involved? Having him turned into a tranquil?” Samson spat out angrily.

“Helping him?”

Samson never thought about, never in those many years had he regretted helping out Maddox. He hated that Maddox was caught and made tranquil, he was mad for being thrown out on the streets, but never did he regret making that decision. “No.”

“He really seemed to care for you.”

“And he was a fool because of it.” 

“I’m sorry for bringing it up.” Dena fought back the tears. She was trying to stay strong for him, if she cried then she might as well had left him to suffer through his withdrawal on his own.

“Don’t be, I’m the one who mentioned him.” his fingers dug into the sheets as his headache worsened.

“Then tell me about your youth.” Dena hoped he’d think of something happier.

“My past doesn’t matter, girl. My past is what has lead me to this mess.”

“Your past is what lead you into my arms.”

Samson grumbled angrily when he realized what she had done. “I was given to the order at a young age, it was seen as a great thing. It’s what every young boy wants to be growing up. Some really take it seriously, they become chaste and give themselves to the Chantry as if it would warm their beds at night. Then there were the rest of us, the ones that either visited The Blooming Rose or the others that sought solace in their lover’s embrace.” Samson chuckled thinking about all the young recruits that would venture into The Blooming Rose.

“Sounds fun.” Dena pried. 

“If you’re trying to get a story out of me girl, you’re mistaken. I didn’t take a vow of celibacy, but I was a bit more focused on getting my sun shield.” 

“So are you saying I was your first?” Dena laughed as he frowned.

“You wish you were the one that broke me in.” he didn’t feel right going into that part of his life with her. 

“Well…” she prodded.

“I don’t know, kitten. I feel we’d be here for days if I were to go on about my past affairs.” he laughed as she hit his arm.

“Asshole.” she smiled down at him before pressing her lips to his. “Are you feeling any better?”

“Slowly.” his voice cracked.

Dena lifted his head off her lap and positioned herself next to him in bed. She held him for the rest of the night as he shared with her his fondest memories. She laughed with him, cried with him and shortly before going to bed, she made love to him. Those were the nights that they’d cherish the most, those nights where they’d be their most vulnerable with each other.


End file.
